Britons need cervical cancer education, says charity

A charity has called for more education campaigns to raise awareness of cervical cancer.

Jo's Trust said that the disease kills more than 1,000 women a year and its profile needs to be raised, particularly in deprived areas.

Robert Music, director of cervical cancer at the organisation, noted that the condition is largely treatable as long as it is diagnosed on time.

"There is a need to run targeted education campaigns in deprived areas to highlight the importance of the causes of cervical cancer and how it can be prevented," he said.

The comments come after a new study revealed that women from poorer backgrounds are more likely to develop cervical cancer than their more well-off counterparts because they tend to have sex at a younger age.

According to the research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, having sex at an early age can almost double the risk of developing cervical cancer.